The designs of air intake ducts for internal combustion engines are largely dependent upon the amount of space available within an engine compartment. Engine compartments are typically designed to use most all available space yet the need remains for fresh air to be collected from outside the engine compartment for optimum engine performance. In this regard, the air intake ducts have become more complex as the duct must be drawn through various angular positions so as to avoid engine accessories. It is known that proper ducting will attenuate the sound of the engine.
A problem with conventional ducting is the sealing of joint between coupled tubing. Over a period of time, tubing joints are known to relax resulting in leakage. Leakage is especially problematic if it occurs after a filtration system but leakage at any joint can change the dynamics of the combustion process, affecting both engine efficiency and noise control.
Improvements to air intake ducts continue as the engine compartments have a reduction in space while engine sizes remain the same or are increased in size.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,528,692 discloses an air intake duct with a simplified attachment to a cover member.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,553,953 discloses at least a part of a duct wall of a suction duct that is formed out of a molded body of non-woven fabric. The non-woven fabric contains a thermoplastic resin binder.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,959,678, discloses a method for making an air intake apparatus. The method includes a holding-portion forming step, a temporary fixing step, and a joining step. In the holding-portion forming step, a holding portion is formed. In the temporarily fixing step, the porous member is held by the holding portion. In the joining step, the holding portion and the porous member are joined together. In the air intake apparatus manufactured by this manufacturing method, a peripheral portion of the porous member is doubly sealed with the holding portion that is an outer edge part of the opening. Consequently, the opening is reliably covered with the porous member so that intake noise is reliably reduced.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,191,750 discloses an intake manifold assembly including an inner shell that is inserted into an outer shell, and a cover that seals the open end of the outer shell. The inner shell includes dividers that form air passages. A laser device is traversed along the outer surface of the outer shell along a path which corresponds with the inner shell to form a laser weld joint. The intake manifold assembly of this invention includes features and methods of assembly that improve the laser weld joints utilized to assemble the plastic intake manifold assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,322,381 discloses a duct main body which is formed into a hollow tubular shape having in an interior thereof an intake passageway for introducing outside air into an internal combustion engine by connecting integrally a plurality of divided bodies such as a first divided body and a second divided body which are formed of a thermoplastic resin and has, in a duct wall of the second divided body, an opening which establishes a communication between the inside and outside of the intake passageway.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,475,664 discloses an engine intake manifold assembly, including a first component having a first mating surface and a second molded plastic component having a second mating surface. The second molded plastic component is adhesively bonded to the first component with an adhesive. The adhesive bond strength exceeds the strength of the second molded plastic component.
U.S. Publication No. 2004/0226531 discloses an air intake apparatus including an air intake duct provided with an inlet through which intake air is introduced, an air cleaner disposed on the downstream side of the air intake duct for filtering the intake air, and an air cleaner hose disposed on the downstream side of the air cleaner and for supplying the filtered intake air to a combustion chamber of an engine, wherein an intake air passageway is laid out between the inlet and the combustion chamber.
U.S. Publication No. 2004/0226772 discloses a permeable port constituted by an aperture and a porous member for covering an aperture that is provided in a part of an intake air passageway portion of an air intake apparatus. The permeable port is disposed in at least a part of a region between the central position of the whole length of an air intake duct and the central position of the whole length of the intake air passageway portion.
U.S. Publication No. 2004/0231628 discloses an engine intake manifold assembly, including a first component having a first mating surface and a second molded plastic component having a second mating surface. The second molded plastic component is adhesively bonded to the first component with an adhesive. The adhesive bond strength exceeds the strength of the second molded plastic component.
What is provided is an adaptive sealing technology for automotive air intake system joints.